


Basslines and Chocolate Eyes

by opalescent_cheetah



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:41:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24176830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/opalescent_cheetah/pseuds/opalescent_cheetah
Summary: "She looks up again as she finishes the run and meets Jackie’s chocolate eyes, gleaming with the thrill of competition."Nicky and Jackie are preparing for band practice when things get heated.
Relationships: Jackie Cox/Nicky Doll
Comments: 4
Kudos: 36





	Basslines and Chocolate Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a while back but realised I never posted it here, oops! 
> 
> Thank you to RustyZebra for the fun brainstorming sessions, for reading over this for me, and for being super supportive; she had the brilliant idea of a rock band au and after we discussed which queens would be in it, I couldn’t get the concept out of my head, so here we are.

_Flick._

There’s a crackle, a buzz, and a low hum resounds through the room. Holding her pick between her teeth, Nicky deftly plays a major scale on her bass, relishing in the familiar feeling of steel against her skin. 

She sees Jackie grinning out of the corner of her eye, and a moment later, the sharp, electric tones of her guitar join the fading murmur of Nicky’s last note. Jackie plays several staccato chords before finishing on a slide, letting the sound ring out in the basement. 

“Oh, are we doing that now?” Nicky asks, plucking the pick out of her mouth as a smirk creeps onto her face. A moment later, the hard notes of the bass pound through the amplifier, and Nicky’s fingers are a blur as she dives between frets. 

She looks up again as she finishes the run and meets Jackie’s chocolate eyes, gleaming with the thrill of competition. A moment later, swift melodies are pouring from Jackie’s guitar, and Nicky is enamoured by the way she bites her lip in concentration, radiating a sense of calm confidence. 

Jackie hasn’t finished her run before Nicky joins in with a heavy rhythm, and the gleam in Jackie’s eyes grows brighter. They play as one, the music growing faster, louder, and neither notice when the door opens and Crystal bounds down the stairs, clutching a bowl of chips. 

She says something that Nicky doesn’t hear and, a moment later, there’s the loud crash of cymbals and a thudding drumbeat resounds through the room beneath Nicky and Jackie’s raging instrumental battle. 

Nicky takes a step towards Jackie, shredding the strings, the instrument already so familiar to her that she doesn’t even need to look while she’s playing. She hasn’t broken contact with Jackie’s eyes for a moment; the air crackles with electricity as they slink closer to each other like lions circling before a fight, claws unsheathed, both playing as though their life depends on it. Nicky bares her teeth in a wicked smirk. 

And then Jackie is whipping out an epic guitar solo, her whole body moving to Crystal’s drumbeat, brows furrowed in concentration. Nicky has to slow down for a moment just to watch her - sometimes she forgets how beautiful Jackie is when she gets like this, loose hair flying around her face as she tosses her head, her slender fingers deftly skimming the frets. It’s only when she’s playing her guitar that Jackie really, truly, lets loose, and Nicky can’t help but admire her. 

She shoots Nicky a sly grin when she’s done, eyes blazing with amber fire, and Nicky slides into a solo of her own, the hard steel strings biting at her fingertips. She starts it slow, feels Jackie’s eyes on her as she steps back and lets Nicky set the stage alight. Nicky intersperses the reverberating thrum of the bass notes with harmonics as she picks up speed, gritting her teeth through a budding cramp in her fingers.

It’s all worth it when she sees Jackie’s eyes shining, and Nicky loves how she seems to glow when she smiles in that gentle way that’s so recognisably _her_. Nicky knows that smile like the back of her hand. 

And then Jackie’s lips pull into a grin and she’s shredding on her guitar again, her fiery stare locked with Nicky’s. Ignoring the pain in her hand, Nicky returns to the quick rhythm and the battle resumes. Crystal’s drumbeat intensifies as the two guitarists prowl closer to each other, breathing heavily, beads of perspiration dotting their foreheads. Nicky is close enough to feel Jackie pant against her lips, to count every fleck of gold in her irises. The tension is palpable, the heat of their combined breaths causing Nicky’s cheeks to flush. Or maybe it’s just the way Jackie is staring at her: so calm, so intense, that it lights her insides on fire. 

She hardly knows what she’s playing anymore. All she can focus on is that look in Jackie’s eyes.

The cymbals crash, and she leans in. 

It doesn’t take much for her to close the gap, press her lips against Jackie’s, as soft as butter and as sweet as strawberries. Jackie gasps quietly against her mouth and the last thing Nicky hears is the low hum of the bass, ringing out over the final staccato beats of Crystal’s drums. 

“I win,” she smirks, drawing back, her chest stirring in pleasure at the light flush of pink dusting Jackie’s cheeks. 

Jackie grins.

“So do I, if this is my reward for losing,” she says, recapturing Nicky’s lips in a quick kiss. 

“Oh my god, get a room, you guys,” comes a voice from behind them, and they whirl around to see Crystal, still perched behind the drum kit, laughing.

~

They finally start practice when Jan arrives, swinging her backpack onto the battered couch and yelling out an apology for being late. 

“It’s all good,” Jackie assures her. “We know what to expect by now.”

Jan shrieks out a laugh and asks, “what did I miss?”

“Oh, not much,” Crystal giggles. “These two got into another one of their crazy music battles, trying to one-up each other, and you can imagine how it ended.” 

Nicky fights a blush as Jan’s gaze darts between her and Jackie, who is trying - and failing - to suppress a giddy smile. After a moment, Jan just nods knowingly, and Nicky hears Crystal snicker behind her. 

They get to playing and Nicky settles into the familiar rhythm of the song, matching Crystal beat for beat. The electric thrum of the guitar intensifies when they reach the chorus and Nicky turns, her gaze landing upon Jackie, caught up in the thrill of the moment. Curls of chocolate hair fall free from her ponytail as she moves to the music, and Nicky just wants to tuck them behind her ear, brush her hand along Jackie’s jawline, and--

Her hand slips and the string whines, the note turning ugly and distorted. Jan offers her a quizzical look, and Nicky just nods to tell her _it’s all okay_. Hastily, she finds her place again, doing her best to focus on the buzz of each note against her fingertips. 

But she can’t stop looking over at Jackie, can’t stop smiling when their eyes meet and Jackie’s cheeks go pink. 

Jackie misses a chord.

Nicky hits the wrong fret.

The music comes to a shaky stop, Jan’s powerful voice trailing off into silence.

“Are you guys okay?” she asks, concerned. “Nicky, you’ve never--”

She cuts herself off as understanding dawns on her face and Crystal, who is silently watching the scene unfold with a shit-eating grin on her face, promptly bursts out laughing. 

“Right, of course.” Jan smiles. “You can both take a break, if you’d prefer.” 

“No, no, we don’t have to, we can--” Jackie starts, but Nicky is shaking her head before she even realises what she’s doing. She swings her bass off her shoulders, rougher than she’d like, and marches over to Jackie to stare her dead in the eye. 

“You heard her,” Nicky says, winking. “It’s time for a break.”

“We won’t get any proper practice done otherwise,” Jan laughs, taking a swig from her water bottle. 

“I can’t argue with that logic,” Jackie agrees, her face softening in an excited smile, and Nicky feels her heart jump. She waits until Jackie’s guitar is propped up in its stand before she grabs her hand and pulls her towards the stairs. 

“This is why _The Methyd Heads_ never get anywhere,” Jan comments wryly behind them, and Crystal giggles, punctuating the end of Jan’s sentence with a quick _ba-dum-tss_ as the door falls shut. 

Nicky pulls Jackie into Crystal’s bathroom, the cold white tiles already more than familiar. The lock has barely clicked behind them before Nicky is all over her, pressing her back against the marble counter, Jackie’s lips warm against her own. 

“Fuck you,” Nicky says between kisses, “for looking so fucking pretty when you play. You make it so damn hard to focus.” 

“I could say the same to you,” Jackie replies breathily as Nicky shifts her attention to her neck. Her hands twist into Nicky’s blue mane, keeping her close, and Nicky loves the way she gently runs her fingers through her hair.

After a moment, Jackie’s soft hands move to cup Nicky’s cheeks, pulling her face up so their eyes are level. Nicky’s insides twist with want. 

“Kiss me again,” Jackie whispers, and there’s golden fire in her eyes.

Nicky doesn’t argue.

They kiss until they’re out of breath, cheeks pink and flushed, hearts thudding in time. Jackie gently traces the outline of Nicky’s jaw, and she tilts her head to kiss her palm, eyes never leaving Jackie’s face.

God, that gorgeous face. Nicky could spend days swimming in those eyes, in that smile. Jackie is gazing at her with a tenderness she saves just for her, and Nicky wonders how she ever got so lucky. 

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” Nicky whispers. She doesn’t give Jackie a chance to reply before she kisses her again, and this time it’s softer, warm desire laced with adoration. Jackie nips gently at her bottom lip and Nicky sighs against her mouth. 

She’s about to say something when there’s a knock at the door, and a bashful voice sounds from the other side.

“Sorry, guys, I really need to pee--”

 _“Crystal!”_ they both groan, but Jackie’s eyes are crinkling at the edges when she turns to smile at Nicky, taking her hand, and Nicky decides she isn’t so annoyed after all. When they open the door, they find Crystal biting her knuckles, barely stifling an amused grin.

“Have fun?” she asks, suggestively wiggling her eyebrows at them as she slides past into the bathroom. Nicky sputters, face going red, and Crystal just laughs and shuts the door behind them.


End file.
